Glossary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Adipose | The body's fat stores or fatty layers. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Aeroallergens | Airborne allergens. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Aerosolized Dust | Dust which is disturbed and placed into airborne suspension. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ambient Air | Surrounding air; used to refer to outside air. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Antagonism | Occurs in toxicology when the effect of one chemical | | | suppresses the negative effect of another (i.e., calcium tends | | | to reduce the toxic effect of cadmium). | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Apportionment | Attribution of a portion, based on Arizona's share of the | | | national population. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -cide | Any substance used to kill a family of agents (e.g., fungi, | | | insects). | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Carbon Monoxide (CO) | A gas formed as a by-product of inefficient combustion, | | | especially caused by automobile exhaust. Symptoms of low- | | | level CO exposure include headaches and dizziness; these | | | symptoms are reversible. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Carcinogens | Substances that may cause cancer. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Clinical v. Subclinical | Refers to the recognizability of disease: clinically apparent | | Disease | disease can be detected by means of a physical exam; | | | subclinical disease is detectable only through laboratory | | | tests. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Coliform Standard | Coliform bacteria generally do not cause disease, but the | | | presence of coliforms in water indicate that conditions are | | | conducive for survival of bacteria. The presence of fecal | | | coliform indicates contamination from human feces and an | | | increased risk for transmission of waterborne diseases. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Confounding Factors | Factors which mask or confuse the effects of another factor | | | (e.g., cigarette smoking is a greater cause of cancer than | | | asbestos and overwhelms the number of cancers caused by | | | asbestos). | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Dosimetry | Measure of the dose radiation. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Dross | Leftover slag after metal is burned. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Epidemiology | The study of the distribution and causes of disease and | | | epidemics. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Fungicides | Chemicals used to kill fungi. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Hantavirus | A virus carried by rodents, especially the deer mouse is the | | | southwestern U.S.; this virus causes a severe respiratory | | | infection. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Herbicides | Chemicals used to kill plants. Most herbicides are selective, | | | meaning that they only kill certain types of plants. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Insecticide | Chemicals used to kill insects. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ionizing Radiation | Atoms or molecules that lose or gain electrons, making them | | | radioactive. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Melanoma | A type of skin cancer. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Methemoglobinemia | A type of blue-baby syndrome that can lead to death in | | | infants. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Mutagen | A substance that changes (or mutates) the DNA. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Myeloma | A cancer of the bone marrow. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Natural Background | Exposure to a pollutant that would occur in the absence of | | | human activities. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Nematocide | Pesticide that controls nematodes (round worms). | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Neurotoxicity | Damage to the nervous system (brain or peripheral nerves). | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Nitrogen Oxides | Nitrogen oxides react with ozone in the atmosphere to form | | | photochemical smog. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Order of Magnitude | Factor of ten. An "order of magnitude" estimate implies very | | | high uncertainty (e.g., one is confident of the estimate within | | | a factor of ten). | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ozone (O3) | A secondary pollutant that is formed by the reaction of | | | nitrous oxides and certain organic compounds in air, a key | | | ingredient of photochemical smog. High levels of ozone in | | | urban environments are generally associated with high | | | automobile traffic. Ozone causes eye irritation, coughing | | | and related symptoms in humans, while it reduces the | | | growth of sensitive plants. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Pesticides | Chemicals used to kill pests; common pesticides include | | | herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Photochemical Smog | A mixture of chemicals in the atmosphere that is formed by | | | the reaction of sunlight and primary air pollutants. Ozone | | | and PAN (peroxyacetyl nitrate) are two main ingredients of | | | photochemical smog. Coughing, eye irritation, shortness of | | | breath, and headache are symptoms of photochemical | | | smog. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | PM-10 | Particulate matter (particles) suspended in air less than ten | | | microns in size. These very small particles have more | | | serious health consequences than large particles because | | | the smaller particles move deeper into the respiratory | | | system. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Potency Factor | Indicates the potency of a chemical carcinogen with respect | | | to its tendency to cause cancer. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Radiochemical | Chemical or drug that is radioactive. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) | A gas produced during the combustion of fuels containing | | | sulfur, especially emitted from coal-burning power plants | | | and, to a lesser extent, from metal refining. At higher levels, | | | sulfur dioxide causes coughing and eye irritation. It is the | | | main ingredient of acid rain. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Synergism | Occurs in toxicology when two chemicals produce an effect | | | worse than would occur if the effect of the two chemicals | | | were simply added together. It is the opposite of | | | antagonism. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Teratogen | A substance that causes a birth defect. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Threshold | A dose of a chemical or radiation below which no toxicity | | | occurs. Until recently, toxicologists regarded cancer-causing | | | chemicals as having a "zero threshold," meaning that even a | | | small dose results in some cancer risk. The zero threshold | | | model has been widely criticized in recent years, and the | | | uncertainty regarding the effect of very low exposures to | | | carcinogens is very high. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Turbidity | A measure of the clarity of water: water with high turbidity | | | appears murky; low turbidity indicates clear water. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Valley Fever | A fungus disease prevalent in the desert southwest. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Vector | An organism that carries pathogens from one host to | | | another. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Weight-of-Evidence | In decision making, this approach is used to show which side | | Approach | of an argument is more strongly supported. This is a lower | | | level of evidence than is used in a jury trial, in which the | | | argument (that someone is guilty of a crime) must be proven | | | "beyond a reasonable doubt." | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Zoonotic | A disease of humans acquired from an animal source (e.g. | | | rabies). | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------